I don't know if this belongs here; this is the forum to talk about Games, but it's not RPG related.
Well, I want to post a review of Ghostbusters, the Game.
The Ghostbusters franchise was important to me as a child. The first Halloween I can remember, I was a Ghostbuster (with proton pack!). The first toys I remember owning that weren't "kiddie" toys were Ghostbuster action figures; as a gift I even got the Firehouse playset, which stuck with me until it fell apart when I was 8 or 9. I also watched the Cartoon a hell of a lot. I loved the movies, to say the least. Now that I think about it, Ghostbusters is probably why I love fantasy and supernatural stuff so much.
So when I heard about them making a Ghostbusters videogame, I was very excited and eagerly awaited its release. I found out it was released last week, and I immediately went out and got it.
Enough about me. Let's talk about the game:
First, a little bit about the franchise in relation to the game. The voices were done by all the actors from the first movie (sans Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis). Not only that, but it was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who wrote the films (Aykroyd says the game is basically the third movie). It's as legitimate as it's going to get.
So the writing is sound from start to finish. The witty banter flows from cut scene to mid-battle. The game has call-backs to both movies. In terms of story, the game is good. There are some places where it's not as interesting as it could have been, and the level design is rather limited and short.
Gameplay is good. It is fairly simple in terms of complexity, but requires some finesse; wrangling a ghost into a trap takes work and luck, for instance. You also have to know when to stop and go help your friends who are down (which is constantly).
The environment is beautiful. It's interactive; you can blow up anything that isn't nailed down, and you leave scorch marks or slime stains on any surface. The scenery is gorgeous. The effects are wonderful, even the detail put into the proton pack. Even the sound from the movie - the musical score, and the sound effects, right down to the proton pack charging up - are there.
However it does have its flaws: Difficulty is just more enemies, and in some cases, limited room to maneuver. They could have implemented the game features a little more (more opportunities to play with the slime tethers). Equipment upgrades ranged from good to meh. Boss battles drag on. It can feel monotonous because you are fighting many of the same enemies level after level. Very linear level design. No replay value. You can get knocked down very easily in some places. The game can very well induce "Throw controller at the TV" frustration, in some places.
Despite all of that, I loved it. It's a trip. It made me feel like a kid again. It put me right into the world and made me feel good. I can tell those who made this game really loved the series.
This game is good if you want to enjoy the Ghostbusters franchise. If you want to spend some time trapping ghosts and running around the Firehouse, talking to Vigo the Carpathian in his painting. If you like finding little bits of lore (there are cursed artifacts which just detail little stories). Or if you have time to kill. It's also a very kid-friendly game.
Well, I want to post a review of Ghostbusters, the Game.
The Ghostbusters franchise was important to me as a child. The first Halloween I can remember, I was a Ghostbuster (with proton pack!). The first toys I remember owning that weren't "kiddie" toys were Ghostbuster action figures; as a gift I even got the Firehouse playset, which stuck with me until it fell apart when I was 8 or 9. I also watched the Cartoon a hell of a lot. I loved the movies, to say the least. Now that I think about it, Ghostbusters is probably why I love fantasy and supernatural stuff so much.
So when I heard about them making a Ghostbusters videogame, I was very excited and eagerly awaited its release. I found out it was released last week, and I immediately went out and got it.
Enough about me. Let's talk about the game:
First, a little bit about the franchise in relation to the game. The voices were done by all the actors from the first movie (sans Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis). Not only that, but it was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who wrote the films (Aykroyd says the game is basically the third movie). It's as legitimate as it's going to get.
So the writing is sound from start to finish. The witty banter flows from cut scene to mid-battle. The game has call-backs to both movies. In terms of story, the game is good. There are some places where it's not as interesting as it could have been, and the level design is rather limited and short.
Gameplay is good. It is fairly simple in terms of complexity, but requires some finesse; wrangling a ghost into a trap takes work and luck, for instance. You also have to know when to stop and go help your friends who are down (which is constantly).
The environment is beautiful. It's interactive; you can blow up anything that isn't nailed down, and you leave scorch marks or slime stains on any surface. The scenery is gorgeous. The effects are wonderful, even the detail put into the proton pack. Even the sound from the movie - the musical score, and the sound effects, right down to the proton pack charging up - are there.
However it does have its flaws: Difficulty is just more enemies, and in some cases, limited room to maneuver. They could have implemented the game features a little more (more opportunities to play with the slime tethers). Equipment upgrades ranged from good to meh. Boss battles drag on. It can feel monotonous because you are fighting many of the same enemies level after level. Very linear level design. No replay value. You can get knocked down very easily in some places. The game can very well induce "Throw controller at the TV" frustration, in some places.
Despite all of that, I loved it. It's a trip. It made me feel like a kid again. It put me right into the world and made me feel good. I can tell those who made this game really loved the series.
This game is good if you want to enjoy the Ghostbusters franchise. If you want to spend some time trapping ghosts and running around the Firehouse, talking to Vigo the Carpathian in his painting. If you like finding little bits of lore (there are cursed artifacts which just detail little stories). Or if you have time to kill. It's also a very kid-friendly game.
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. All the magor home systems can handle 4 controlers. Not one or two or three... BUT FOUR! Do they really think so few gamers have friends in real life? Either that or the developers of Ghostbuster were worried that thier precious graphics might look dimiished on a split screen
